


The Prince and the Paladins

by Wandering_fanatic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU in which Altea still exists, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Galra Keith (Voltron), Human! Shiro, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Keith was Raised Galra, Lotor is an asshole, Other, Rated mature for language and rape mention, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Threats of Rape/Non-Con, de-aged keith, de-aged paladins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-10-31 15:36:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10902282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wandering_fanatic/pseuds/Wandering_fanatic
Summary: In light of their defeat against Altea and the Paladins of Voltron, the Galra are being forced to pay war reparations. What do the Alteans require as spoils of war? How about the young half-breed son of Emperor Zarkon?





	1. The agreement

 

Tables flew across the room and shattered against the walls, a violent display of emperor Zarkon’s fury. They had lost, how is it possible that could lose and against the Alteans no less. A race of weaklings had somehow overtaken his army that had conquered the galaxy. It was all because of that weapon, Voltron. And now they demanded reparations, the fools dared think they could make demands of the Galran empire?

“Bring in the Halfling” he growled to his guards. Minutes later they dragged the boy in by the scruff of his neck, he fought against their hold like a hellcat but to no avail he was much too small to put up any real fight. 

They tossed the boy to the floor in front of Zarkan’s throne. He struggled to his feet and looked up at the emperor, his father… no, his sire.

“you couldn’t have just summoned me? It isn’t like I would ignore the summons” The boy grumped, his fuzzy ears twitched at the top of his head.

“Silence boy, I have no desire to deal with your insolence" Zarkon growled as he glared down at his hybrid offspring. “It seems that you may finally be able to be of some use to me” The boy, Keith, flinched at the careless way with which the man regarded him but he was used to the mistreatment and said nothing. Zarkon continued “It seems that the Altean’s have made a few demands of us. As they were victorious, they have demanded ‘reparations’”.

Again, Keith didn’t understand Zarkon’s point in summoning him but remained silent. “These reparations require us to pay for the damage the war caused to their planet, they also require us to send a representative of high status to form a alliance as a show of ‘good faith’ It is my understanding that this representative will be bound to their general, the commander of the Black lion of Voltron.

The silence became heavy as the realization of his situation finally dawned on the boy. With wide pleading eyes, he looked up to the emperor. “Please, no. Father please don’t do this”

“Silence!" Thundered the emperor "you are a servant of Galra before anything else and you WILL do as commanded”. 

History told Keith that arguing the point would only result in pain so he stayed quiet once again. “The Black paladin is a warrior and you as a prince, bastard or not, are valuable enough to trade. Use this evening to prepare for your trip to Altea, you leave tomorrow. You won't need any belongings, but you will have one servant to act as escort for you and the rest of the spoils of war”.

Hours later Keith sat in his room contemplating the meaning of these new developments. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, Zarkon had never truly wanted him for a son, he only kept him around for occasions such as these it seems.

His door swung open to reveal his half brother Crown Prince Lotor.

“So father has finally found a way to get rid of you huh?” Prince Lotor strolled into Keith’s shabby quarters, the younger boy glared up at his half-brother from the cot that was his bed.

“And he’s marrying you off to the Black Paladin no less” Lotor laughed. “You know that he used to be a gladiator, right? A blood thirsty one too! He fought his way to the top, they called him the Champion” He grinned down at Keith again as he approached the cot, leaning over the hybrid boy.

“I bet he’s as brutal in bed as he is in the ring” Lotor whispered. Keith struck out with a small fist that Lotor easily caught. He grabbed his other wrist and pinned them above Keith's head, effectively pinning the boy down. Keith struggled against his brother’s strong grip but cursed his small size that he had inherited from his mother, whatever species she had been. Lotor held Keith down and spoke into his ear

“He hates Galra you know. I bet he’ll pin you down just like this and fuck you every night like the little whore you are". Lotor used Keith’s wrists to push himself back up, forcing them to bear all his weight and leaving dark indigo bruises on Keith’s lavender skin.

"You don't deserve any better, filthy little half-breed that you are". He sneered as he sauntered out of the room.

When he was sure the Older Prince was gone, Keith turned over, facing the wall. He had been prepared to deal with the situation as best he could, he had planned to meet the Black paladin with dignity and hopefully they would be able to get along, maybe even be friendly towards each other in time. His brother's comments had dashed every hope from his heart. If the Black paladin had truly suffered by the hands of the Galra as his brother had said, than his hatred was deserved and pain inflicted on any Galra would surely be deserved in his mind. Not to mention that Keith was technically royalty, estranged from his family or not. He would be the perfect recipient of revenge inflicted by the Black Paladin.

In the solitude of his room, on his last night of what could barely be considered freedom, he allowed himself to cry. Shutters wracked his body, he wasn’t sure if they were from the crying or the fear, all he knew is that they did not cease until sleep overtook him.

<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>

Shiro was not looking forward to this, he knew that having a valuable Galra representative would help them keep relations with the Galra Empire, but a prince? God new that this person would be insufferable, and why was it that Shiro had to be responsible for him? Hell, he was already bonded to the three new paladins and was responsible for their training why did Allura insist on making it more difficult by bonding him to a fourth person? And a Galra no less, she knew he hated them! He had looked up the stats on this Prince: his name was Keith, he was the bastard, half breed son of Emperor Zarkon yet, at 25 years old he had no significant accomplishments that marked highborn of his age in Altea a twenty five year old prince would have already be very involved policy and other royal duties. _Great so not only is he a Galra prince but he is older than me too_. Shiro had just turned 21, he was the youngest Black Paladin in history, in fact, the entire new team was much too young for the responsibility they were being forced to carry.  This new person was going to completely throw off the balance of the group.

He was thrown from his internal rant by a ship arriving in the docking bay. _This is it,_ he thought with dread, _goodbye freedom, from now on I’m stuck babysitting a spoiled alien prince._

The ship's hold opened to two reveal only two Galra; a woman, who he suspected to be a servant. She, like all the other Galra he had encountered towered over all the Alteans gathered in the near vicinity. What surprised him however, was the person next to her. As there were no other Galra present, the small figure must be the prince. His figure was far less striking than the woman's. He was several inches shorter than Shiro himself, his shoulders were slim and his limbs were slender. _This person is a Galran prince?_

Princess Allura strode forward, dragging Shiro with her until they stood before the two strangers. The closer he got to the pair the more amazed he was at the Prince’s appearance. He wore clothing typical of highborn Galra, he wore a red tunic with a gold belt, the cloth rich and soft. His pants, or leggings rather, were tight and black. Around his neck and wrists were gold bands with red jewels in the centers of each. His features were far from typical of the Galra; while he had the typical catlike ears, purple skin and darker purple hair (almost black actually), the similarities seemed to end there. Where the woman next to him had very distinct facial features and hard yellow eyes, the prince had a delicate facial structure. Though his eyes were downcast and Shiro was unable to see their color, it was clear that they did not have the ethereal yellow glow typical of his race.

After making his initial observations Shiro remembered what he had read about Prince Keith, he is a half Galra hybrid, the other species from which he gained his non- Galran features was unknown, or at least, unacknowledged. _The other half of his genetics must be of a race of very small people._ Shiro concluded.

He was once again broken from his internal ramblings when Princess Allura began the introductions. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Prince Keith, my name is Princess Allura and this is Shiro, paladin of the Black Lion and commander of Voltron. At the mention of Shiro's name and station the Prince finally looked up from what must have been an extremely interesting rock.

 _His eyes are purple_ Shiro thought. The boy’s eyes met his and they widen it what Shiro recognized as fear. _He’s a Galra, why would he be afraid of me?_

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Prince Keith” Shiro said stepping forward and holding out his robotic arm in attempt to offer a handshake. The Prince took a step back, cowering from the taller man. Were It not for the arm of the servant next to him holding him by the shoulder the young man would probably have stumbled backwards into the ship.

Shiro stepped back and lowered his hand. “Well, I guess we should get you two settled in then” he said rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“Right” Allura said “We were not expecting your arrival this soon so we do not have your permanent rooms ready, we’ll have you stay with Shiro this evening your Highness. It’ll help strengthen the bond. As for your servant, she can stay the servant’s quarters, it may be a bit lonely as we haven’t kept servants for years but it should be clean and comfortable”.

Shiro watched as the Prince made eye contact with Allura, he nodded but stayed silent though it seemed as if a small shutter ran through his body.

 

Shiro led the pair of Galra towards his rooms, he allowed the Prince inside and told him he’d give him a little time to settle in while he showed his servant _Taika_ to the servant’s wing.

“I was lead to believe that Alteans are a gentler race than my own, but I can see that this is not the case” The Galra woman exclaimed, glaring at Shiro with unguarded distain.

Shiro looked at her with confusion “I don’t understand what you mean" he replied  "Please explain”.

She looked away from him, her face flushed violet with anger and her voice sounded as if she was having trouble restraining herself. “Of course an alliance was necessary but to demand a kitten as a spoil of war and a marriage as well! It is shameful and depraved! I don’t know of any of our race that would force such monstrous intentions on one so young”.

Now Shiro could not hold back his confusion, what the hell was this woman talking about? Marriage? No one had spoken of marriage when the alliance was discussed, where had this even come from? And what was this about a kitten? He was pretty sure that cats were not native to any of the planets in the Galra empire or Altea.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about” Shiro cried “I know of no marriage nor do I have any knowledge about kittens being requested”.

Outrage was displayed plainly on Taika’s face “Was it not you who demanded the Prince as a spoil of war? Is it not you who he is to be bound to? A mere kitten is to be bound to the Black Paladin, the warlord who defeated Lord Zarkon’s armies?”

Realization overcame Shiro's face, clearly there was a misunderstanding when the communications and demands were made of the Galra. “I’m sorry but there has to have been a mistake, we did not demand the Prince specifically, we simply asked for a person of high standing. Not only that but it was not for a marriage, to be bound is simply to have a strong connection in which there is mutual trust and protection. The ceremony itself is incredibly simple and the individuals who are involved are free to pursue relationships outside of their bond and even marry!” he had spoken these things rather loudly, the misunderstanding causing him to be more passionate in his response.

“Please” he continued on after allowing himself to catch his breath "Explain to me what you mean by kitten, I am unaware of any demands made involving cats young or old”.

It was Taika’s turn to be confused “I have no idea as to what a _cat_ is, when I used the word kitten I was referring to his highness. It is a word we use on our world when we refer to our young. In your culture, you would use the word _child_.”

“But his highness is hardly a child! According to our archives he is 25 years old!”

“It seems that the misunderstandings in our communications have no end” Taika sighed “I cannot expect Alteans to know of Galra culture. You see, Galra measurement of time is very different from that of Alteans, our home planet is actually smaller and it's orbit around our sun is shorter, therefore our notion of years is also different. Each Altean cycle is a littler less than twice as long as that of a Galra one. His highness is 25 Galra cycles old but I would estimate his physical, emotional, and mental maturity to that of a Altean of fifteen year old.

Shiro’s mouth dropped open in complete disbelief, this meant that not only did they have a Galran prince to look after, but this Galran prince was still a child. _Just like the new Paladins, I guess that explains his small size and lack of development._

I really wish that we had requested more information on Galra culture in addition to the reparation money and representative. Shiro thought.

“Wait!” Shiro exclaimed “If all of this is true and the misunderstandings were as extreme as we believe, then that means the emperor gave up the prince knowing full well that he was way too young for marriage! Pity for the boy, for now he knew that he was only a boy, swelled in his chest. “What kind of father would do such a thing?”

Taika looked sadly down at him “it is not my place to explain or understand the actions of our emperor, I’m am here only to help settle Prince Keith in and I will head back to Galra”.

“I see” Shiro mumbled. So not only was the prince sent here as the equivalent of a child bride but once this servant left he would be completely alone in an unfamiliar environment.

“If I can make a request of you sir” Taika looked to him earnestly “Please be kind to him, that child has never known kindness. He is strong as any of our race, but is afraid to death of you.

“Why is he so afraid of me? I know that I am a warrior but I am no more of a threat than any one of your kind! Especially when I am without my lion!".

“It was yesterday that he was informed of his role in all of this, he was given the evening to prepare himself for his assignment and he hadn’t seemed any more fearful than is to be expected. But last night I overheard his brother’s fairwell visit, if you can call it that. Crown Prince Lotor has never been fond of his younger half-brother, the details of his speech are too vulgar and cruel for me to repeat but essentially he told the child that you hated all Galra and would probably use every opportunity to hurt him in the worst possible ways. Given the treatment  he received growing up I am not surprised he knew what Lotor meant but he is not old enough to handle the stress of such a situation or even the threat of it”.

Shiro listened to her story with horror, for a brother to say such things, and to a child no less was enough to turn his stomach _. If that is what he expects of me than his fear is understandable._ Shiro spoke after a moment. “I can assure you that I have absolutely no such intentions and he will be well protected and cared for while he remains with us”.

"Thank you Sir Paladin, if that is so than I can leave him here with a clear conscious”.

“That you may, now here are your rooms for the night. If there is anything you need you can press this button to summon one of us. Goodnight and believe me when I say that the boy is safe as long as he is under my protection”.      

"Thank you my lord”.

Shiro left the Galran woman to her own devises and made his way back to his own rooms where a very frightened Galra child waited for the man he believed wished him harm in the worst of ways. Shiro felt anger overtake him as he contemplated the conversation he had had with the Galra woman. Zarkon had to know what the bond was, he had been the first Black paladin. If he knew this then why had he allowed his son to believe that he was being given to the Alteans for marriage? Why had he sent the boy here, essentially alone, under the impression that he would fall victim to Shiro's lust and revenge? He shuttered at the thought and deliberated how he could possibly reassure the Keith that he was in no danger and that Shiro, despite his dislike of Galra in general, had every intention of protecting him.

His hands were clenched and shaking with rage by the time he reached his bedroom door. It occurred to him that entering in his current state of mind would only frighten the Prince further and endeavored to calm himself. When he believed, himself master enough of his emotions that he would not cause any more damage he entered the suit that was his room.

It was quiet and there were only a few lights on, making the room very dim. He looked around in search of a small purple form to no avail. Quietly and as gently as he could he called out “your Highness?”. There was no answer and Shiro became concerned that the boy had left the rooms and gotten lost in the castle when he heard a faint noise coming from his bedchamber.

He slowly made his way to where he had heard the noise, making sure to make enough noise as to not startle Keith but also staying quiet enough as to not make himself seem violent or clumsy. “Your highness its Shiro, I would like to talk to you about a few things.” Again he received no response and when he entered the room where he slept he still could not see the boy anywhere.

He was about to leave and search for him throughout the castle when he heard another small noise, this time coming from underneath the bed. He got down to his knees and looked underneath to find Prince Keith curled up in a small ball underneath the bed sleeping. _Oh boy, this is going to be a long night._

The first thing Shiro needed to do was get the kid out from underneath the bed, there was no way they could have a conversation that way.

“Hey, kid” Shiro spoke at a volume that wasn’t loud enough to startle the sleeping boy but hopefully loud enough to wake him up. “Prince Keith you need to wake up now please”.

The Prince’s eyes slid open, they were bloodshot and the skin around them was swollen and a darker shade of violet than the rest of his face. The boy’s eyes widened in shock and fear and he scrambled out from underneath the bed and stood so that the bed was between him and Shiro. He regarded Shiro with wide purple eyes, his catlike ears pressed back against his head.

“Please” Shiro began gently “I promise you that I have no intention in harming you, I just want to talk”.  He backed slowly into the chair he had tucked into the corner of the room. “You should make yourself comfortable, I promise I won’t come near you”.

The boy either believed him or was too afraid of him to disobey and sat down on the far side of the bed, pulling his legs to his chest and looking warily at Shiro.

“It has come to my attention that there were extreme misunderstandings regarding our situation” Shiro sighed, he tried to make eye contact with the young Galra but the boy had chosen to focus his attention on a frayed thread on Shiro’s blanket.

“look… Keith” The boy flinched at the sound of his name “I don’t know exactly what you were told about your purpose here but your servant was under the impression that we demanded you as a spoil of war, that you were sent here to be my... partner unwillingly. Is this correct?”

Again, Keith didn’t answer but he did look up and make eye contact with Shiro for the first time since their introduction in the docking bay. This time his gaze was a mixture of confusion as well as fear.

“Our intention in requiring a representative from Galra was so that a more concrete bond would be forged between the two civilizations, it could have been anyone of high standing. The bond is not necessarily of a romantic or sexual nature, I explained to Taika that it is a bond of mutual trust and protection. Not to mention you are much too young to be bound to anyone in the way that your people assumed”.

Tears once again ran down the young prince’s cheeks and his body shook violently.

"I promise you Keith that I don't want to harm you, nor do I have any intention of forcing you to sleep with me. You are here under my protection and I hope that I time you will be able trust me as well as the rest of the people who make this castle their home". Shiro, having explained to the best of his ability and hopefully started that path towards making the young Galra trust him, saw in the other's face and felt in himself a strong wave a fatigue. This was no doubt caused by the stress of such an emotional situation.

“I’m going to spend the night in the other room, you can take this bed. Look, you can even lock this door from the inside so you don't have to worry about anyone coming in while you sleep". Shiro was babbleing now. "Get a good night’s rest, and if you have any questions I’ll answer all of them to the best of my ability in the morning”. Shiro abruptly got up from his seat causing the half Galra boy to flinch back again. Shiro winced at his own thoughtlessness and backed slowly out of the room.

"Good night Keith, sleep well".

“Thank you” came a whispered reply, it was the first thing the boy had said since his arrival. Shiro dimmed the lights and flopped onto the sofa.

_This is going to be interesting._


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bonding ceremony takes place and introductions are made

As soon as the Black Paladin had left the room, Keith got up and locked the door. Despite the man’s reassurances that he had no intention of hurting him, he could not trust the word of an Alien warrior he had only met a few hours prior.

 

There’s no telling what kind of horrors the Champion had been subjected to in the hours? Days? Years? of suffering while in custody of Keith's people. This man had obviously been subject to the Druid's cruel experiments (judging from his arm) and had probably lost countless numbers of his own people in the war against Keith's father. The Champion could not have thrown away all his resentment simply because he had won. Not even the golden haze of victory could be enough to erase the transgressions of the Galra from that man's mind.

 

Keith couldn’t blame the Champion for his doubtless hatred of the Galra. Even if he didn’t carry a personal vendetta against them, Keith’s race has committed so many atrocities and war crimes that it would be a surprise to find any being across the galaxy that didn’t hate or fear even the idea of Galra.

 

The feeling of hopelessness again settled itself into the pit of Keith’s stomach. There was absolutely no way that the Paladins of Voltron would accept someone like him into their midst. He couldn’t fit in among his own kind who only accepted him as prince out of obligation.  Even among the “family” that he had been born into, he was despised. It seemed he was fated to be pariah no matter where he went. The sooner he accepted that fact the sooner he would be able to allow himself to fade into the background.

 

Perhaps if he stayed quiet and out of the way he could avoid the righteous fury of the Paladins and Alteans. At least it seemed that Shiro was not planning to force him to sleep with him.

 

Unless… Unless he had lied to prevent Keith from causing trouble for the night. The bonding ceremony was tomorrow. What if they had only been kind to him to make sure he went through with the ceremony?

 

At these thoughts, Keith again began to tremble. His eyes once again filled with unbidden tears. He cursed himself for being so weak. This weakness of body and spirit was so out of character. He was a warrior! He was the top of his class in the academy, (he may be only half Galra, but they were forced to allow him to attend due to his status)! Until he got kicked out, that is.

 

Yet, what else could he do? He didn’t dare leave the security of this room. Outside that door was the Champion, and beyond that there were the other paladins and no doubt a castle full of Alteans, all of whom would raise alarm at seeing a Galra traversing their halls unchaperoned.

 

He was trapped. He was alone. Always alone. Who knew what was to come on the morrow? At these last thoughts, the tears that had been threatening to spill were once again streaming down his face. The trembling continued until he had, again, cried himself to sleep.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Shiro had left the Galra boy in his bedroom and went about preparing himself to sleep as well. He was anxious for many reasons, the most obvious being that there was traumatized teenage Galra prince that he was suddenly responsible for in his room. As if he didn't already have three inexperienced Paladins to train and a Red Paladin to locate.

 

He wasn't sure how this young team would react to the newest castle resident. None of them had experienced war against the Galra up close and personal so there would hopefully be a little less resentment. But that boy was still a prince, Emperor Zarkon's son to be exact. Even Shiro couldn't escape the prejudices that this fact recalled. 

 

He laid down on the sofa in his room and continued to mull over the implications of what the Galra woman had revealed to him. It was clear to him now that the prince was not treated well. This was probably due to his mixed heritage; the Galra take pride in racial purity. The boy’s outer appearance didn't reveal much about the way he had been treated.

 

Yes, he was quite small for a Galra, even for a child, but without knowing the species of his mother it was impossible to tell if his size was stunted growth from mistreatment. The boy showed no outward injury. His clothing was fine, even the jewelry he wore spoke wealth. 

 

"Well," Shiro spoke out loud to himself, "I suppose we'll have plenty of time to figure this out since he's here to stay."

 

With this he sighed again and let himself drift into a shallow sleep.  


<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*<>*

 

Shiro awoke the next day to a light tapping at his door. He opened the door to reveal the Galra woman Taika as well Princess Allura. 

 

"Good morning Shiro! I trust the night went well?" Allura asked cheerfully. 

 

"Yeah... Well about that, Princess we really need to tal-" 

 

“Princess Allura” Coran’s voice sounded from her communicator “I’m sorry to interrupt but you are needed on the bridge.

 

Allura looked to Shiro, siltently asking him permission to discuss the subject later. He shrugged and decided that for now the subject could wait. “It can wait until this evening I suppose, but as soon as you have the chance we have some serious matters to discuss.

 

“I understand” Allura agreed “Let us plan on meeting after the festivities, I would like to know what you have learned about our new guest. Bye the way, Taika here” she guestured towards the Galra woman “is here to assist his highness in getting ready for the ceremony”.

 

Allura checked her communicator again “I’m sorry Shiro, but I really should go help Coran” She said as she rushed away.

 

"Okay then," Shiro sighed again as he watched the princess's form retreat down the hall.

He the glanced towards Taika. The Galra maid held out a small box, just a little larger than his hand. She looked down at him and explained.

 

"I was instructed to deliver this to you before the ceremony and tell you that it will be useful for you to look into it beforehand."

 

"I see," Shiro replied, slightly puzzled as to what would be so important that he needed to see it before the ceremony began. "Well, why don't I leave you to help Keith. I will get ready for the ceremony and take a look at whatever this is."

 

"Yes sir," she bowed her head and he moved to allow her into his room.  

 

He went to his bathroom and began to dress in his official Paladin formal wear. When he was finished with his routine he took the box she had given him and went to the castle-ship's Great Hall so he could give his two guests privacy and room to prepare.

 

As he began the short walk, he opened the box. Inside was what he assumed was a remote, it was shaped in a flat oval and fit in the palm of his hand, also inside the box paper rolled into a small scroll. He took out the scroll and found it to be what he thought were instructions, but they were written in what looked like Galra.

 

"Well, I guess it'll have to wait until after the ceremony. I don't have time to translate it right now." He really needed to stop talking to himself or people were going to start thinking he was crazy.

 

He placed the scroll back in the box as he walked into Great Hall. There were a few Altean officials present as well as ambassadors from other worlds that were part of the Voltron alliance. The three other Paladins stood at the front of the crowd and greeted Shiro.

 

Lance, the Blue Paladin, was the first to express his discontent, as usual. "Shiro! Do you really have to do this? I know that we promised, but if you are bound to a Galra that means we are too! And he's a prince so he's probably an asshole!"

 

"Lance, I know we've talked about language before," Shiro scolded the sixteen-year-old. 

 

"Shiro, I hate to say it, but I think Lance has a point, do you really think we can trust a Galra? A Galra prince?" Hunk, the Yellow Paladin, said sheepishly.

 

"Guys, I know you're all apprehensive about the situation. I'd be lying if I didn’t say I was too, but I want you guys to give him a chance. He might be a prince but I have a feeling that there's more going on here than we realize."

 

It was Pidge's turn to speak up next. She had been very curious about their Galra guest and wondered what he would be like. "I've never actually seen a Galra in person before. This should be interesting." 

 

"Pidge, don't freak him out. He's in a completely new environment and doesn't have anything familiar with him."

 

With that a silence came across the crowd, the Paladins looked up to see the two Galra enter the room. Taika looked much the same. She had styled her hair slightly and changed into clean clothes.

 

Beside her Keith wore a white tunic with gold thread. It was cinched at his waist by the same golden belt with red jewels that he had been wearing the day before. He had a pair of burgundy trousers and knee high brown boots. Around his neck and wrists were the same necklace and bracelets and on his head sat a circlet of gold denoting his position.

 

It was hard for Shiro to determine because of the color of his skin, but thought he could perceive that the boy was paler than what is considered normal. Nevertheless he walked into the room and joined the Paladins of Voltron with an air of pride and perfect posture. 

 

They took their places, and Allura strode up to perform the ceremony.

 

"This is a momentous occasion," her voice rang loud and clear. "Today we celebrate the end of a war that has ravaged worlds for centuries. In the wake of the war, we accept Keith, Second Prince of Galra, not only as ambassador of his people to the Voltron Alliance, but as a friend."

 

She turned from the audience to where Keith and Shiro stood, "Please take each other's right forearms in the warriors greeting."

 

Keith reached out, Shiro could see his hand shaking. They grasped each other's forearms in the traditional handshake of Altean warriors.

 

Allura turned to Shiro first. "Shiro, please repeat after me: I, Takashi Shirogane, Black Paladin of Voltron and Commander of the Voltron Galactic Alliance, vow to now and forevermore be your brother at arms and friend in peace. When enemy strikes, I will be your shield. My fight is your fight, my peace is your peace. Your trust is mine to keep as mine is yours. I vow to keep this promise to the best of my ability from now until the end of my days." 

 

Shiro repeated the vow after Allura, and when he finished she turned towards the Galra prince. "Keith, please repeat after me: I Keith Kogane, Second Prince of Galra, vow to now and forevermore be your brother at arms and friend in peace. When enemy strikes, I will be your shield. My fight is your fight, my peace is your peace. Your trust is mine to keep as mine is yours. I vow to keep this promise to the best of my ability from now until the end of my days"

 

The look on Keith's face told Shiro how unsure and fearful he was, but the boy straightened his spine, looked Shiro in the eyes with stubborn determination. With a voice that rang loud and clear, Keith repeated the oath.

 

With that the ceremony was over and Allura announced that the historic moment was now to be celebrated with a feast in Keith's honor. At this the young prince's eyes went wide and he released his grip on Shiro's arm.

 

Now that the ceremony was complete, Shiro figured that it would be as good a time as ever to introduce Keith to the young Paladins of Voltron. Gesturing for the three Paladins to come forward he began.

 

"Keith, I would like to introduce you to the newest team Voltron. This is Lance, Pidge, and Hunk. Guys, this is Keith."

 

He was happy to see Hunk step forward without hesitation. He watched the young man as he slowly approached the Galra prince and held out his hand.

 

"It's nice to meet you your highness. My name is Hunk, I'm the Yellow Paladin".

 

The prince cautiously shook Hunk's hand and uttered a quiet ' _Nice to meet you'_ without meeting his eyes. Shiro couldn't necessarily blame Keith for his shyness. Even though Hunk had just turned sixteen a few months ago, he towered over the Galra boy and had to weigh at least twice as much. These features were no doubt from his Trollenheim ancestry; his father had been Trollen, his mother had been Altean.

 

When Hunk had stepped back from his introduction, Pidge stepped forward to introduce herself. However, it seemed she was more interested in observing Keith's form than actually getting to know his character. She looked up at him with an interest that foretold trouble, her small form clearly itching to flit about him to examine him more closely.

 

Nevertheless, after a little prompting from Shiro and a soft jab to her side, she thrust out her own hand and said "I'm Pidge, the Green Paladin." No sooner had Keith shaken her hand then she pulled him closer and stared at his face. 

 

"Your stats said that you're only half Galra. Do you know what the other half is? Do you look more Galra or do you look more like your mystery half? I have to say that other than your ears and skin, you don't look very Galra. Can I take a few hairs to analyze? Wow! I didn't notice before but your Hair isn't black, but a really, really, really dark purple. Is that normal? How come some Galra look reptilian while others look feline? You look more feline, do your ears move by themselves? Ooh, they do! Wow, that's fascinating!" 

 

Shiro, while highly amused by Pidges excessive curiosity, could see that the Prince was becoming agitated. His ears had gone down flat to his head which had prompted Pidge's last comment. And the comment about him not looking very Galra had definitely offended him. Shiro decided that he should probably put an end to the inquiries before someone insulted another irreparably. 

 

"Pidge, enough with the questions. Give him some space. We'll all have plenty of time to get to know more about each other later." 

 

Pidge seemed to understand the distress she had been creating in the Galra boy and stepped back. He eyed her warily.

 

"Sorry," she said. I've just never met a Galra before, let alone a half breed. I didn't even know that Galra half breeds existed!"

 

With her last comment, he dropped his eyes to the ground. 

 

Shiro was going to apologize for Pidge, but before he had the chance he saw the boy look back and make eye contact with Pidge. The same resolution he had exhibited during the ceremony shown in his purple eyes.

 

"Galra hate half breeds," he said in a firm voice. "The only reason I exist is because Zarkon needed a political pawn that he wouldn't mind getting rid of if need be."

 

Perhaps the statement was bitter in spirit, but the neutrality in Keith's tone made it seem as if he did not care that he owed his existence to his own expendability. 

 

Shiro cursed inwardly. _This kid_ , he thought, _has a chip on his shoulder the size of a battleship class Balmera crystal_. 

 

Pidge still looked fascinated, but Keith's comment had dimmed the fire in her eyes. She would extract more information later.

 

It was now Lance's turn to introduce himself. Shiro had been surprised that he had not been the first to jump up and make himself known to the prince. At sixteen-years-old, the young Altean was the most notorious flirt Shiro had ever met. No matter the planet or gender (assuming the planet they visited had a concept of gender at all), if there was a being of even remote attractiveness, it was guaranteed that Lance would attempt to hit on them. 

 

Today, however, Lance was looking very subdued. He stepped forward at last and held out his hand. Keith shook hands one last time and Lance proceeded to introduce himself. 

 

"The name's Lance," he said in a tone that Shiro had never heard him use. It almost sounded resentful. "I'm the Blue Paladin. If you ever even think about hurting my friends, I'll make sure you regret it." 

 

_Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit_

 

Shiro was a little ashamed to have not seen this coming. After all, Lance was the one who had first spoken out against this entire event when Shiro had informed them of it. Altea had been at war against the Galra the longest of all of the planets that made up the Voltron Alliance. Lance had been raised during the height of the anti-Galra propaganda regime.

 

Shiro watched for Keith's reaction. He was worried but also curious to see how the Galra boy who had been hiding under his bed the evening before would react to an outright threat. 

 

Keith's ears flattened against his head again. But, this time, instead of the submissive aura he had been giving off before he leaned forward into Lance's space. His face twisted into a snarl and he bared his fangs.

 

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think a twig like you could take me? You might be tall but I don't see an ounce of muscle in you. I'd have you on your ass before you could move an inch". 

 

Well, that was certainly a surprise.

 

Shiro had almost forgotten that the Galra were a warrior race. Even a halfbreed prince would have been trained in warfare from an early age. If his memory served him correctly, Galra children, both male and female, were sent to military training beginning at the age of ten (in Altean years).

 

Lance looked as if he were going to throw a punch this time. Now it was Shiro’s turn to intervene.

 

 “That’s enough!” His voice was hushed to preserve the atmosphere of the party, but his tone clearly showed his frustration.

 

“Lance, you will act like a civilized person or you will not participate in the festivities. And Keith…” Shiro turned to the Prince. He was ready to give him a verbal reprimand similar to the one he had given Lance, but it died in his throat when he saw the boy cowering, inching his way behind Hunk in order to put some space between himself and the Black Paladin.

 

_Great, back to square one. And just when I thought we were making a little progress..._

With the prince back to outwardly fearing Shiro and Lance glaring daggers at him, Shiro decided to just drop it and proceed to the feast lest the guests think something was wrong.

 

“Alright guys,” Shiro sighed. “Let's go get some food. Be on your best behavior.”

 

Hunk and Pidge led the way into the dining hall while Lance followed closely behind (after sending one last glare in Keith’s direction). Keith glanced once more towards Shiro and slowly trudged towards the doorway leaving Shiro to be the last one to enter the enormous room.

 

_One step at a time I guess._


End file.
